Red Mile: Delaney Hanover scores in Grade 1 Kentucky Filly Futurity

Delaney Hanover, with Scott Zeron in the sulky, followed a live cover flow and finished explosively to capture the Grade 1 $300,000 60th edition of the Kentucky Filly Futurity at The Red Mile Sunday. A sophomore filly by Muscle Hill, Delaney Hanover stopped the timer in a career-best 1:50 1/5 clocking.

There was plenty of action in the early stages, but Zeron took his filly off-the-pace as Deja Blu and Yannick Gingras rocketed to the top at the outset while seating Kadena on the opening bend. R Dutchess and Tim Tetrick also left hard from the outside but took back before the quarter to seek a covered trip.

Following a moderate opening quarter of 28 1/5, Andrew McCarthy moved Miss Belmar sharply for the front, and then led the field through an accelerated 55 1/5 first-half. Jason Bartlett guided Champagne Problems off the pylons before the half and Zeron put Delaney Hanover on her back as they moved on the final turn. Before three-quarters Gingras took Deja Blu to the outside sensing the pace-setter was beginning to tire. At three-quarters in 1:22 4/5, Deja Blu took over as Miss Belmar broke, but that lead would not last.

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Delaney Hanover rallied wide for Zeron into the homestretch, and once the earplugs were pulled, she quickly fired right past the leader and was clear in front through the 27 2/5 final quarter. R Dutchess tracked her moves into the stretch and was a solid second across the wire with Stash Some Cash, also a beneficiary of the outer tier flow, closing for third. Deja Blu held on to fourth, with What A Bid Hanover closing well along the pylons for fifth.

"I was happy where I got away," said Zeron. "She was game to the wire."

Trained by Lucas Wallin, Delaney Hanover won her third stakes race in-a-row and second in Grand Circuit action over The Red Mile surface. Owned by Wiesman Farms LLC., Shermay Stables and Wallin Racing Stable, Delaney Hanover returned $4.00 as the betting favorite.

Asked about the attributes that have put Delaney Hanover among the leaders in the sophomore trotting filly class Lucas Wallin said, "She has everything."

Earlier on the card, C Me B Me captured the $25,000 Filly Futurity eligible contest in a career-best 1:50 4/5 clocking. She gave a sweep of the Filly events to driver Zeron and trainer Wallin.